Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts

Homemade donuts really are easy and simple to make and you don’t have to fry them. This baked cake donut recipe is easy to do and the donuts come out delicious every time.

I love donuts. If I see a local donut shop anywhere, I will stop. I don’t care if we are in the middle of nowhere. Donuts are so good. While I love my little fried donuts, I prefer to avoid the frying and make baked donuts instead. They can be just as good.

My kids love donuts as well. While I would like to take credit for that little obsession, it all comes from my dad. Ever since my kids were very little, anytime they went over to their house for a gathering, Papa & Nana play-date, or for babysitting, my dad would run to the store and grab some “papa donuts”.

“Papa donuts” are just mini Hostess chocolate donuts. He would always buy the powdered sugar ones as well and those eventually became known as
“Nana donuts”. I will have to admit though, that I simply love a chocolate cake donut from my local Kroger store (King Soopers). My sisters and I just love those.

But making homemade baked cake donuts is really fun and this is my favorite recipe. They’re perfect at any time – breakfast, brunch, dessert or as a snack.

Baked Donuts Ingredients

Softened butter

Vegetable oil

Granulated sugar

Brown sugar

Large eggs

Baking powder

Baking soda

Nutmeg

Salt

Vanilla extract

All-purpose flour

Milk

How do you make Baked Cake Donuts?

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease 2 donut pans.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl or mixer beat together the butter, vegetable oil, granulated, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well combined.

Mix in the flour and milk, adding the flour and alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix batter until smooth and well combined.

Gently spoon the batter evenly into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling until just shy of the rim.

Place pans in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes before you remove from the pans. Prepare frosting during this time.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

In a double boiler over medium heat combine butter, chocolate chips, and corn syrup. Stir until completely melted and well incorporated.

Once glaze is done and donuts are cool, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and turn over, back onto the cooling rack. Glaze side up.

Allow glaze to harden, if you wish for 10-15 minutes or like our family, serve right away… yum!

Now I am just sitting here drooling over these donuts and thinking about which donut recipe I will make next. I am leaning towards Copycat Starbucks Devil’s Food Cake Donuts.
Have a great day, friends. Cheers to baked, glazed, and “papa donuts”.

XOXO San

More Recipes to Try

Love this recipe? Be sure to check out these other cake donuts that will have you eating more than one for breakfast.

Mix in the flour and milk, adding the flour and alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix batter until smooth and well combined.

Gently spoon the batter evenly into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling until just shy of the rim.

Place pans in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes before you remove from the pans. Prepare frosting during this time.

Frosting

In a double boiler over medium heat combine butter, chocolate chips and corn syrup. Stir until completely melted and well incorporated.

Once glaze is done and donuts are cool, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and turn over, back onto the cooling rack. Glaze side up. Allow glaze to harden, if you wish for 10-15 minutes or like our family, serve right away… yum!

You can use a heat-safe bowl and a pot of simmering water to mimic a double boiler! Just make sure the water does not reach the bowl when set on top of the pot. There are lots of tutorials online if you simply search “double boiler”. Hope this helps!

These donuts are insanely delicious. they are cakey, thick, moist, nutmegy and popping with chocolate flavor with the icing. Followed recipe to the letter except batter made 14 really thick donuts. This will be my go-to recipe for a basic cake donut. They are literally addicting. I will get them out of the house tomorrow and five them to my neighbor.